Description

The Swamp of No Hope is a vast marsh, extending from the southeast corner
of Cabilis far to the east. After the fall of the Iksar empire, the frogloks,
ancient enemies of the Iksar, retook the swamp and made it their home,
building a massive town deep within the swamp and near to the spring that
feeds it all. From there they, to this day, retain control over the swamp,
despite frequent conflicts with the Iksar of Cabilis, who occasionally
take them as slaves.

Dangers

Overall, the swamp is not very dangerous to travel through if you are
careful and keep your eyes open. The only aggressive creatures are banished
Iksar and skeletons, both of which stick out like a sore thumb in the
green swamp, and the frogloks, which you can usually hear coming from
quite a ways away. The problem comes when traveling through the swamp
quickly, where it is easy to come over the crest of a hill or through
the dense underbrush and run directly into one of these creatures. This
is especially dangerous anywhere outside of the safer area near Cabilis,
as many of the frogloks and banished Iksar are at least in their teens
in levels.

That being said, fighting in the swamp is actually quite dangerous. There
are a lot of wandering monsters, especially in the area near Frogtown
where the frogloks are constantly wandering, but the same problem exists
in all places. It is very difficult to find a place to fight monsters
where others will not walk by and join in the fight, and any group hunting
here has to be prepared for that.

There are several small outposts of banished Iksar and some haunted ruins
scattered throughout the swamp, but the area of major importance is Frogtown,
the home of the frogloks. This area has high concentrations of frogloks
all living closely together. They also have roaming patrols around the
area at all times. These factors make it dangerous for anything other
than a well-orchestrated attack by a good group when attacking the town
itself. There is only one ramp, although you can flee readily off of the
platforms of the town itself. Just be sure to save some extra hit points
for the fall...

Benefits

This area is a vast area that at most times seems to be underpopulated,
both by monsters and by adventurers seeking a fortune. However, this is
mostly due to difficulties in finding out what to do in the swamp, and
not for lack of something to do.

There are many isolated camps throughout the swamp that make good hunting
for people of the appropriate levels. Also, it is relatively safe to hunt
along the edges, and there are many creatures in the swamp, between the
everpresent leeches and mosquitos and the other wandering monsters.

Frogtown itself provides a good opportunity for groups. There are many
places on the platform that provide relatively safe spots to pull from,
with a little bit of difficulty in getting to them. Once established,
a group could pull a whole section of platform quite well, and escape
off of the edge if need be to the swamp below.

Travelling To and From
Swamp Of No
Hope

The city of Cabilis has a small outpost in the northwestern section of
the swamp, with a small area of relative safety surrounding this. Slightly
to the east of this safe area is a small pass that leads to the Field
of Bone. The southern edge of the swamp has many small passes into the
forest near the elven fortress of Firiona Vie. To the east, the spring
that feeds the swamp lies in a small tunnel that leads into the hills.
The intrepid explorer could sneak past the Iksar outcasts that call this
cave home and into the ancient mountains of Trakanon's Teeth, home of
Sebilis itself.